Shloka 10
रावणोत्पत्तिः—तपसा वरलाभश्च
Rāvaṇa’s Origins and the Acquisition of Boons
इत्येवं प्रतिबुद्धः स रात््यन्ते राजसत्तम: । अब्रवीत् सहितान् भ्रातृन् दयापन्नो मृगान् प्रति,इस प्रकार रात बीतनेपर जब सबेरे उनकी नींद खुली, तब वे नृपतिशिरोमणि हिंसक पशुओंके प्रति दयाभावसे द्रवित हो अपने सब भाइयोंसे बोले--“बन्धुओ! रातको सपनेमें मरनेसे बचे हुए इस वनके पशुओंने मुझसे कहा है--'राजन्! आपका भला हो। हम अपनी वंशपरम्पराके एक-एक तलन््तुमात्र शेष रह गये हैं। अब हमलोगोंपर दया कीजिये'
iti evaṁ pratibuddhaḥ sa rātry-ante rājasattamaḥ | abravīt sahitān bhrātṝn dayāpanno mṛgān prati |
Thus, when he awoke at the end of the night, that best of kings—his heart softened by compassion toward the creatures of the forest—addressed his brothers who were gathered with him. He conveyed that the animals of this woodland, having narrowly escaped death in a dream, had appealed to him: “O King, may good befall you. Of our lineage only a single thread remains. Now, have mercy upon us.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dayā (compassion) as a royal and ethical duty: even powerful rulers should be moved by the vulnerability of living beings and respond with protection rather than harm, especially when a community faces extinction.
At dawn the king awakens and, feeling compassion for the forest animals, speaks to his brothers. He reports the animals’ plea—heard in a dream—that only a tiny remnant of their lineage survives and they beg the king for mercy.